


Pre-New Year's Eve

by katfevre



Category: New Year's Eve (2011)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Holidays, Unlonely, strangers to friends to ?, what if
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29457090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katfevre/pseuds/katfevre
Summary: This story was inspired by Paul & Ingrid’s first scene in the movie "New Year’s Eve". Ingrid asks Paul, “Do you work here?” and he answers, “No, I work for a courier service.  I’ve been delivering packages to you for about, I don’t know, a year now, but I think this is, maybe, the first time you’ve ever looked me in the eye. How you doing?”  Later in the conversation, Ingrid says, “I remember who you are now.”  This exchange had me wondering what the previous interactions between Paul and Ingrid had been like.
Relationships: Ingrid/Paul (New Year's Eve)





	1. January

Monday, January 3, 2011, 7:45 am

“Are you training for the Tour de France?” Randy teased his roommate, who was pacing around the living room in thermal tights and a long-sleeve insulated jersey.

“First day of the new job, man,” Paul reminded him as he started jogging in place and throwing punches in the air. “Gotta be ready.”

“To box a delinquent package?”

“I’m getting the blood pumping. You should try it,” Paul suggested, moving closer to where Randy sat nursing his coffee mug at the kitchen counter.

“My blood is fine moving at its usual languid pace.”

Paul’s phone vibrated inside his zippered side pocket. “Oh yeah, my first delivery is ready for pick-up,” he announced as he pumped his free hand in a fist above his head. He stuck his phone back in his pocket, zipped it closed, snapped on his helmet, and grabbed his neon green bicycle.

“Don’t run over any pedestrians,” Randy called just before the door slammed shut.

Today was Paul’s first day as a courier. With this job, he felt like his life was finally getting back on track. He’d moved from his small hometown in Ohio to New York City six years earlier with a scholarship to NYU, where he planned to pursue a degree in Drama with the goal of becoming a theatre director. Unfortunately, he’d spent more time partying than studying and found himself on probation after his first semester and suspended after his second semester. Luckily, his big sister lived in Brooklyn and let him crash at her place with her husband and daughter for a year while he tried to find himself, while mostly volunteering, but sometimes getting paid to work at various small theatres in the city. During that time his love of the theatre waned, but he met his best friend and current roommate, Randy, who was painting sets for one of the last productions he worked on. Randy had since gone on to become a professional illustrator, while Paul worked a variety of jobs in the hopes of saving enough money to get back on track. He’d worked as a custodian at Radio City Music Hall, as a mail delivery boy at a publishing house, as a dishwasher in a four-star restaurant, as a ticket seller for the subway, as a tour guide in Greenwich Village, and most recently as a member services representative at Planet Fitness. He hadn’t made it back to college yet, but he’d grown and learned a lot from his life experiences over the past six years. With this new job as a courier, he would be earning $25 an hour. Plus he would be traveling all over Manhattan and hopefully making all kinds of beneficial connections.

4:45 pm

“Ahern Records, Inc.” Paul read the address on the package out loud. “Awesome!” It would be his last delivery of the day. It had been a pretty good day. He’d only gotten lost once, he’d delivered all of his packages mostly on time, he’d walked into so many different office buildings he’d lost count, and he’d met so many new people. Paul was definitely a people person and loved interacting with everyone, from just saying hello to full-on, in-depth get-to-know-you conversations in elevators and on street corners. He especially loved meeting all of the beautiful women in New York and prided himself on brightening their day with a friendly smile and some mild flirting. Seeing all those ladies smile and blush made him feel like the king of the world. He’d even made dinner plans with the receptionist he’d met at his previous delivery location.

Paul weaved through the sea of desks on the 37th floor of the Ahern Records building.

“I have a package for Mr. Jonathan Cox.” He held out the package to the lady seated at the desk where he’d been directed by the gentleman at the first desk next to the elevator.

The lady snatched the package from his hand, scribbled her signature on the receipt ticket, and handed it back to him without so much as a thank you or even looking at him.

“Have a nice day,” he said, not used to being ignored or dismissed. If she’d just make eye contact, he’d flash her a smile and he knew she would smile in return, and if anybody needed to smile it was this lady. But she didn’t look at him, she didn’t respond to him, she just continued to type away on her computer. He started to say something else, but his phone vibrated, reminding him that it was five o’clock and he had less than an hour to run home, shower, and meet his date.

5:17 pm

“How was your first day?” Randy asked, lying on the couch eating popcorn and watching an episode of Law & Order SVU.

“Best day ever, bro,” Paul responded, hanging his bike on the bike shelf before peeling off his jersey. “New York is so amazing! Some days I still can’t believe I live here. The people here are so great.”

“Are you sure you live in New York? I live in New York, and the people here suck!” Randy mumbled with a mouthful of popcorn.

“Dude, you get what you give,” Paul argued before disappearing into the bathroom. Ten minutes later he walked out with a towel around his waist.

“Where are you going?” Randy asked.

“I have a date,” Paul said with a wink. “Her name is Julie. She’s a receptionist at this law firm, but she really wants to be a paralegal. She’s gorgeous and smart.”

“And she wants to date you?”

“Of course,” Paul said, popping an imaginary collar before disappearing into his bedroom.

“So what did you do, ask out every receptionist you met today until one finally said yes?”

“No, I didn’t ask out every receptionist.”

“How many?”

“Only three,” Paul laughed as he returned to the living room buttoning up the sky blue shirt he wore with his grey pants.

“And Julie was the only one that said yes?”

“No, they all three said yes, but Julie was the only one who said yes to tonight,” Paul said, wiggling his eyebrows. “Don’t wait up dog,” Paul called as he skipped out the door.


	2. February

Monday, February 14, 2011, 7:27 am

Paul sat on the top step in front of his sister’s brownstone, a bucket filled with two and a half dozen assorted roses. Three minutes later, Kim opened the door and gave a small shout of surprise when she saw her brother.

“7:30 exactly, just like clockwork,” Paul teased, looking at his wristwatch.

“What are you doing here? How long have you been out here?” Kim asked before turning back to her open door and shouting, “Hailey, get out here now! You’re going to be late for school!”

“I’m here,” the grumpy teenage girl snapped as she stomped out the door. Her face brightened when she saw her uncle. “What are you doing here? And what are all these roses for?”

“It’s Valentine's Day,” Paul shouted standing up and spreading his arms wide, pulling Kim and Hailey both into an awkward hug. “I plan to spread a little love throughout the city and I thought I’d start with my two favorite girls,” Paul explained.

“These are for us,” Hailey exclaimed, stooping to sniff the bucket of roses.

“Whoa! Not all of them, just this one.” Paul pulled an extra-large yellow rose from the bucket and handed it to his niece.

“It’s gorgeous!” Hailey squealed, giving Paul another hug before snatching the rose from his hand. She started swaying with it like a dance partner before skipping down the steps. “See you later!” she shouted before taking off in a sprint to the corner of the street where her best friend waited. 

“How in the world did you pay for all of these?” Kim asked.

“I make deliveries to this flower shop twice a week and the dude cut me a super deal. Sold them to me wholesale. I got the whole lot for fifty bucks. And these are for you,” Paul said, pulling out six white roses and handing them to his sister.

Kim’s pursed lips eased into a soft grin as she accepted the small bouquet. “White roses are my favorite.”

“I know and you’re welcome,” Paul said, rolling his hand and bowing at the waist.

“And who are the rest of the roses for?”

“There are eighteen pink roses, six for Gabby, six for Tracy, and six for Julie.”

“Three different girls? Really?” Kim’s lips were pursed again and her brow furrowed.

“I’m playing the field, big sis, and all three women know we’re not exclusive,” Paul reassured.

“What about the rest?”

“Like I said, I’m spreading the love and you never know who I’ll meet today.”

“Why lavender?”

“Lavender symbolizes love at first sight.”

“You really are a player.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“How are you going to haul that bucket on your bike? Where is your bike?”

“My bike is back at the flower shop. One of the delivery guys brought me here in their van.”

“Why here?”

“To deliver roses to my favorite sister, of course,” Paul said, pointing to the roses in Kim’s hand.

“Why are you really here?” Kim asked, her eyes narrowing as she took a step closer to Paul.

“Well, I was hoping you could give me a lift back to Manhattan, then maybe help me fix up the roses…”

“Fix them up?”

“Yeah, you know, some tissue paper, a box.”

“Those weren’t included in your wholesale deal I take it.”

“Nope.”

“And how can I help? I don’t have any of those supplies here. There’s a flower shop two blocks that way and a Walgreens three blocks that way. I’m sure either one can help you out.”

“What about the supplies at your work?”

“No.”

“Come on. Surely you’ve got some extra tissue paper no one will miss.”

“Maybe. Are you going to carry that bucket to the Subway station?”

“No, I was hoping...remember I got you your favorite roses on Valentine’s Day...I was hoping you’d lend me your car.”

“Seriously? I’m not sure six roses are worth that.”

“Come on! Please?”

“Fine, but you’re paying for the tolls. And you’re buying me a coffee on the way.”

“Deal!”

12:45 pm

Making his usual deliveries had been much more difficult with a car instead of his bike. He wasted too much time sitting in traffic and searching for parking during the first half of the day. So, he decided to deliver the roses before his lunch break so he could ditch the car back at the flower shop until the end of the day. Gabby, Tracy, and Julie had all been very appreciative. Tracy invited him to meet up after work for a drink before her Galentine’s day party, Julie invited him to her place later that evening for dinner, and Paul’s lips were still tingling after Gabby’s thank you kiss.

Giving away the lavender roses had also been easy since he ran into so many beautiful women every day. He’d given the first one to his favorite Starbucks barista. His second delivery of the day was actually a bouquet of flowers for a pediatrician from her husband. He gave his second rose to the doctor in the office next door who had looked at the bouquet arrival with envy. His third rose went to a receptionist who couldn’t stop crying because her boyfriend had just broken up with her. Then a tourist, a middle-aged woman from his home state of Ohio, mistook his car for her Uber and he ended up giving her his fourth rose after dropping her off at the New York Public Libary.

Paul had one rose left and one last delivery before lunch. The delivery was for the 37th floor of Ahern Records and now he knew who needed his last rose. After a month working as a courier, he had visited almost every corner of Manhattan, and Ahern Records was the office he’d visited most often. He’d now made a delivery to every floor in the building except for the third and twenty-sixth and everyone was pretty friendly except the secretary on the 37th floor. If anyone needed to smile today, it was her.

“Tony, my man,” Paul called out before high-fiving the guy at the desk closest to the elevator.

“Making a special delivery, I see? Who’s the lucky lady?” Tony inquired as he looked at the single lavender rose in Paul’s hand.

“Oh, nothing like that man. I’m just the courier,” Paul laughed as he glanced further back into the room looking for his intended target.

“So, who’s it for? Sandy? Beth? Me?” Tony asked, propping his elbows on his desk and resting his chin in his hands, clearly eager for some office gossip.

“Um, the package is for Mr. Cox and the rose is, um,” Paul paused, remembering that he still didn’t know the secretary’s name. “It’s for...um, Mr. Cox’s secretary.”

“Miss Withers, really?” Tony said with an overdramatic gasp.

“Um, yeah, it’s for Miss Withers,” Paul replied, stifling a chuckle at the all too appropriate name

“I should have known, it’s always the quiet ones who are living the secret sordid lives.”

“Is Miss Withers here today? I don’t see her at her desk.”

Tony glanced back toward the empty desk. “Oh, she must still be in Mr. Cox’s office.” Tony leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper, “I heard that Mr. Cox has royally screwed up some of the contracts again.”

“Ouch,” Paul responded. “Well, I guess I’ll just leave it on her desk.”

Tony nodded before grabbing the ringing desk phone.

Paul walked back to Miss Wither’s desk. He waited for a full minute before deciding to just lay the rose on her keyboard and walk away.

“I wonder who sent that rose?” Tony asked, still hoping for some gossip.

“Sorry man, I can’t tell you, courier honor,” Paul laughed, holding up his fingers in a boy scout salute before hitting the down button on the elevator.

“So, I’m sure a handsome guy like yourself has plans for Valentine’s Day.”

“You know it! How about you?”

“Oh well, Scott and I have been together eight years, so v-day plans for us are pretty low key. We’ll probably just Netflix and chill.”

“That sounds nice,” Paul replied as the elevator dinged to announce its arrival. Paul looked back at Tony to wave good-bye and that’s when he saw Miss Withers step out of Mr. Cox’s office. “So, how did you and Scott meet?” Paul asked, stepping away from the elevator and propping himself on the edge of Tony’s desk.

Tony enthusiastically launched into the story of how he and Scott were set up on a blind date by mutual friends. Paul only half-listened as he watched Miss Withers approach her desk. She started to pull her chair out from the desk but froze when she saw the rose. She glanced around the room, not looking beyond the immediate circle of desks closest to her. She slowly reached for the rose and pulled it to her nose. She closed her eyes and inhaled, the corner of her lip turning up slightly.


End file.
